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Auditor General Michael Ferguson is raising a red flag over the hurdles that confront Canadian Forces members whose military careers are cut short because of medical woes.

And because of poor record-keeping, he says the Canadian Forces has lost track of how many ill and injured soldiers are on the payroll, making it difficult to forecast the future demand for services.

Between 2006 and 2011, 8,026 Canadian Forces members were released from the military because of injury or illness. Providing support for the ill and injured is costing the federal government an estimated $500 million a year.

In an audit released Tuesday, Ferguson says the transition process from uniform to civilian life is “complex, lengthy and challenging to navigate.”

While the federal Conservatives have oft-boasted about their support for soldiers suffering medical issues, the reality is much different as Ferguson concluded that it “remains difficult to access services and benefits in a timely fashion.

“The result may be that Forces members and veterans do not receive benefits and services to which they are entitled, or do not receive them in a timely fashion,” Ferguson wrote in his assessment.

Both National Defence and Veterans Affairs have the responsibility of assisting soldiers deemed medically unfit to serve. Ferguson’s team of auditors found problems in both departments, from the front-line support centres that serve soldiers on bases, to confusing paperwork, to delays in how medical records were transferred.

“Both departments have difficulties in communicating and meeting service delivery standards and requirements,” the audit found.

Interviews with veterans turned up common complaints about complex eligibility criteria, lack of clear information about programs, the volumes of required paperwork and the length of time it takes to receive benefits.

He said even the employees who administer the program complain it is complex, burdened by a bewildering array of policies and procedures.

He wants the departments to simplify the language used to explain the benefits, saying that it often takes a university education to understand some of the forms.

The audit found that personnel support centres located across the country to provide support for injured soldiers and veterans got good reviews. But even here, the audit still found that programs were inconsistently offered between the centres.

Ferguson also found no standard in how long the defence department takes to decide whether to release a Canadian Forces member for medical reasons, with decisions ranging from 12 days to more than six years. As a result, some decide to quit the military voluntarily, losing access to additional supports if they had left on medical grounds.

The auditor general is urging both departments to streamline and automate their transition policies and administrative procedures to make it easier for injured and ill service members to access.

Both departments said they agreed with the auditor’s conclusions. Veterans Affairs said it was committed to providing a “hassle-free” system and said it had already taken steps to speed processing of applications for benefits.